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SUBJECT: Performance Report: Attainment of Vulnerable Children

MEETING: Children and Young People Select Committee

DATE: 6th November 2014

DIVISIONS/WARDS AFFECTED: All

1 PURPOSE 1.1 To provide members with a report card that looks at the attainment of children that

social services work with against the general child population within Monmouthshire.

2 BACKGROUND 2.1 This report card for provides a line of sight between our activities and the outcomes

and priorities which the council and our partners are committed to. 2.2 This report provides members with the baseline information to assess where we are

and what progress we are making to demonstrate whether anyone is ‘better off’ as a result of our work. It groups measures under three headings: How much did we do? (quantity); How well did we do it? (quality); Is anyone better off? (impact).

3 KEY ISSUES 3.1 There is a significant gap in attainment between the children receiving social services

in Monmouthshire and the all pupil population. 3.2 This gap widens as the children progress from Foundation Phase to Key Stage 2 and

is most pronounced at Key Stage 3. 3.3 Family situations are complex and multi-faceted. Education is a priority for all children

and young people known to Children’s Services as is, appropriate parenting, suitable accommodation and having their basic needs met. Many families that social services work with often do not have a positive education background themselves and do not see the importance or value of education.

3.4 The service works closely with schools, Education Welfare Officers and the CYP

Directorate to reinforce the necessity for children to attend education. School is often a safe haven for children, a consistent supportive environment and assists the multi-agency network supporting the child to advise of issues and concerns as they arise.

3.5 Appendix 1 contains a broader range of performance measures relating to children’s

social care. At the end of September 71% of the indicators are showing improvement compared with the position at March 2014. 68% of measures are currently on target. A small number of targets were revised in September 2014 after the release of the national comparisons to ensure that our own aspirations are sufficiently stretching when compared with other authorities. These changes are marked-up in appendix 1. No targets have been lowered.

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4 RECOMMENDATIONS 4.1 Members should use this report and the associated indicators to scrutinise whether

services are being delivered in line with expectations and are contributing to the agreed outcomes.

4.2 Members should identify any areas of underperformance or concerns that require

further investigation. .

AUTHOR

Sian Schofield, Data Analyst 01633 644483 sianschofield@monmouthshire.gov.uk

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OBA Report Card for Attainment of Vulnerable Children

Council Priority: Vulnerable People Single Integrated Plan Outcome: Nobody is Left Behind

Why we focus on this

We want everybody to have the same opportunity to achieve what they wish. Data shows significant differences in attainment between the children social services work with and the wider population of children within Monmouthshire.

The story behind the Objective

Chart 1: Children’s Services caseload June 2014

In June 2014 the caseload for Children’s Services showed we were working with a total of 507 children and young people. The breakdown of the services they receive can be seen in Chart 1 which shows the majority are classed as ‘Children in Need’.

Monmouthshire’s rate of 195 children receiving social services (per 10,000 population aged under 18) is the second lowest in Wales and compares to a rate of 315 (per 10,000 population aged under 18) across the whole of Wales. (Source: Children in Need Census 2013).

When a child is assessed, their primary need is identified as the main reason the child needs social services. In 37% of cases in Monmouthshire the child’s main need is categorised as ‘abuse or neglect’. This is the most common need for the majority of Welsh Authorities although across Wales almost half of all children (49%) had a need for services due primarily to the risk of, or actual, abuse or neglect.

The second most prevalent category of need within Monmouthshire is the ‘child’s disability or illness’ which is the primary need in 29% of children. This rate appears to be reasonably high compared with 18% in Wales overall and with just one Welsh authority having a higher proportion of children with a disability as their primary need. The June 2014 caseload reports almost a quarter of all Children’s Services cases

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Chart 2: Parenting Issues in MCC and Wales

Chart 3: SEN All Monmouthshire Pupils

are held by the Children with Disability team.

For each child, further information is recorded on five factors related to the parent’s ability to parent. Domestic abuse is the most commonly observed issue affecting parenting capacity within Monmouthshire, present in 29% of cases. Across Wales the most common parenting issue is parental substance or alcohol misuse (25%) which was the second most common parenting issue within Monmouthshire. Chart 2 shows parenting issues within Monmouthshire and Wales.

Pupils are entitled to free school meals if their families receive a range of support payments such as Income Support or Income Based Job Seekers Allowance. 51% of the school age children that Monmouthshire social services are working with are eligible for free school meals. This compares to 12% of all pupils in Monmouthshire being eligible for free school meals. While this rate compares favourably with all pupils in Wales (20%) there are wide variations within Monmouthshire from 3% in Osbaston CIW Primary School to 43% in Deri View Primary School.

A child has special educational needs (SEN) if he or she has learning difficulties which require special educational provision. Pupils with SEN may have statements issued by the Local Authority or may have their needs identified by the school under School Action or School Action Plus. 82% of Monmouthshire pupils have no special educational need compared to 32% of children supported by social services (see Charts 3 and 4).

4% of all pupils in Monmouthshire have a statement of SEN compared to 42% of the children social services work with. This is high compared to all Welsh children supported by social services which is 28% and may reflect the higher proportion of children with disabilities - and more specifically learning disabilities - in the Monmouthshire caseload.

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Chart 4: SEN Monmouthshire Pupils Supported by Social Services

What progress are we making?

Chart 5: Attainment for Monmouthshire children supported by social services against Monmouthshire all pupils

The majority of information used within this report card is derived from the Children in Need Census which is completed by each of the 22 Welsh Authorities for Welsh Government on an annual basis. The most recent data is from 2012-13. Because of the relatively small numbers of children within social services in Monmouthshire in any one school year group, attainment figures can fluctuate. So to generate a more reliable picture, we have combined data for the last 4 years of returns for Monmouthshire and compared to the most recent all Wales data (2012-13). The definition of children in need within the census is all children that social services are working with regardless of whether they are looked after or on the child protection register (from this point on children in need refers to all children receiving social services).

The National Curriculum is applied to Foundation Phase and three Key Stages of pupil development. In this section attainment at each of these stages for Monmouthshire Children in Need is presented against the all pupil results for Monmouthshire (see Chart 5).

There is a wide educational attainment gap between children in need and all pupils which widens as children progress from the Foundation

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Chart 6: The attainment gap between Monmouthshire Children in Need and all pupils

Chart 7: The attainment gap between Wales Children in Need and all pupils

Phase (age 3-7) to Key Stage 2 (age 7-11) and Key Stage 3 (age 11-14), as demonstrated in Chart 6. At the Foundation Phase the difference in the proportion achieving the expected outcome was 24 percentage points. This increases to 46 percentage points for Key Stage 2 and to 55 percentage points for Key Stage 3.

The pattern of an increasing attainment gap as children progress through school is also evident across Wales but attainments gaps are more pronounced at key stage 2 and 3 within Monmouthshire (see Chart 7). The tables below compares Monmouthshire Children in Need with Wales Children in Need at the first three stages. Monmouthshire CIN’s attainment is better than average at Foundation Phase but below average in key stage 2 and more so at key stage 3.

MCC CIN Wales CIN 2012-13

Attainment at Foundation Phase

66% 47%

Attainment at KS2 CSI 44% 47%

Attainment at KS3 CSI 26% 32%

At Key Stage 4 (age 14-16) attainment is shown using the percentage of pupils aged 15 who achieve the level 2 threshold including a GCSE grade A* to C in English or Welsh first language and Maths. The gap in attainment at this stage between children in need and all pupils can be seen in Chart 8, also added for comparison is the attainment of children eligible for free school meals.

Again Monmouthshire’s Children in Need perform under the Welsh average whereas Monmouthshire children eligible for free school meals and all pupils perform above the Welsh average. 10% of Monmouthshire’s Children in Need attain at Key Stage 4 level 2 including a GCSE grade A* to C in English or Welsh first language and Maths, compared to 27% of Monmouthshire pupils eligible for free school meals and 57% of all pupils.

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Chart 8: Comparison of Key Stage 4 level 2 threshold including a A* to C in English/Welsh and Maths.Comparing Children in Need, pupils eligible for free school meals and all pupils in Monmouthshire and Wales.

Alongside attainment data, it is important to consider the higher proportion of children with a statement of special educational needs within the Monmouthshire Children in Need cohort. This is apparent when compared both with Welsh Children in Need and Monmouthshire all pupils (see table below).

% of pupils with a statement of SEN

Monmouthshire CIN (av. 2010-13) 42%

Wales CIN 2012-13 28%

Monmouthshire all pupils 4%

For the last three years, the percentage of pupils in local authority care, and in local schools, aged 15, that leave compulsory education, training or work based learning without an approved external qualification has been zero (EDU/002ii). This is better than the comparable all pupil indicator which is 0.4% for 2013-14 (EDU/002i).

Care leavers engaged in education, training or employment at the age of 19 (SCC/033f) was 58.3% in 2013-14 compared to 56.4% in Wales overall (2012-13). Again, low numbers of 19 year old care leavers in any one year mean this indicator is volatile, when averaging our data over the previous four years, 52.3% of Monmouthshire’s care leavers were engaged in education, training or employment at the age of 19.

The attainment gap experienced by children who social services work is not unique to Monmouthshire. The reasons are complex and multi-faceted and solutions are likely to require a multi-agency response. Ensuring that nobody is left behind and that people are confident, capable involved are themes within Monmouthshire’s Single Integrated Plan. The Local Service Board is working to identify projects are already achieving success in this area and exploring further opportunities to improve attainment.

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Head of Service Comments

Child in Need work that is completed as part of the statutory work in Children’s Service is the only area of provision that requires family consent. Therefore if a family does not wish to engage with us, we have no powers or legislation to enforce this, unless the situation escalates into child protection. In addition the requirements that are complied with for LAC regarding Personal Education Plans (PEPs) do not exist for those open to Children’s Services as a Child in Need and therefore does not give an opportunity to support children and young people in the same way.

As noted in the report card family situations are complex and multi-faceted. Education is a priority for all children and young people known to Children’s Services as is, appropriate parenting, suitable accommodation and having their basic needs met. Families that we work with often do not have a positive education background themselves and do not see the importance or value of education. The service works closely with schools, Education Welfare Officers and the CYP Directorate to reinforce the necessity for children to attend education. School is often a safe haven for children, a consistent supportive environment and assists the multi-agency network supporting the child to advise of issues and concerns as they arise.

In addition Child in Need plans will reflect the need to attend school and any other tasks relevant to a child and young person’s education. In conjunction with those professionals responsible for supporting those in education, if issues remain or concerns escalate to a higher threshold, then these are pursued as per statutory processes.

Collaboration/ Partners we are working with

Gwent Police, Education, Youth Offending Service, Action for Children and Aneurin Bevan Health Board.

What we have spent on this objective

At month 3 Children’s Services was forecast to overspend by £583,000

How are we performing?

Performance Indicators 2011/12 Actual

2012/13 Actual

2013/14 Actual

2014/15 Q1

2014/15 Target

Ranking in Wales

How Much?

Total number of children on the caseload 671 497 445 507 N/A N/A Number of children on the Children with Disabilities caseload 220 161 126 123 N/A N/A Number of Looked After Children 106 101 103 103 N/A N/A Number of children on the Child Protection Register 79 55 37 38 N/A N/A Percentage of Children in Need with a statement of Special 43.0% 46.3% Not N/A N/A N/A

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Educational Needs Published

Percentage of Children in Need eligible for Free School Meals 51.2% 56.7%

Not Published

N/A N/A N/A

How Well? Percentage of children in need achieving the foundation phase indicator at Foundation Phase

53% 79% Not

Published N/A N/A N/A

Percentage of children in need achieving the core subject indicator at Key Stage 2

48% 15% Not

Published N/A N/A N/A

Percentage of children in need achieving the core subject indicator at Key Stage 3

25% 24% Not

Published N/A N/A N/A

Percentage of children in need achieving Key Stage 4 (Level 2 threshold including a GCSE grade A* - C in English or Welsh first language and mathematics)

11% 8% Not

Published N/A N/A N/A

Is anyone better off?

Percentage of all pupils in local authority schools, aged 15, that leave compulsory education, training or work based learning without an approved external qualification (EDU/002i)

0.1% 0.1% 0.4% N/A 0% =16th

Percentage of pupils in local authority care, and in local schools, aged 15, that leave compulsory education, training or work based learning without an approved external qualification (EDU/002ii)

0% 0% 0% N/A 0% =1st

Percentage of young people formerly looked after with whom the authority is in contact, who are known to be engaged in education, training or employment at the age of 19 (SCC/033f)

62.5% 25.0 58.3 N/A 66.7% 10th

How do we compare with other areas

The below comparisons show the most recent 2012-13 children in need data, attainment data is averaged over the last 4 years to remove annual fluctuations in data:

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Appendix 1 – Key Children’s Services Indicators, Quarter 2 Update

Ref Description 2011/12

Actual 2012/13

Actual 2013/14

Actual 2014/15

Q2 2013/14 Wales Av

Direction of travel

Target Met

Target 2014/15

SCC/011(b) (NSI)

The percentage of initial assessments that were completed during the year where there is evidence that the child has been seen alone by the Social Worker.

25.5% 173/679

22.4% 81/362

33.2% 93/280

46.9% 37.5% Improved >37.5%

>48%

SCC/033(d) (NSI)

The percentage of young people formerly looked after with whom the authority is in contact at the age of 19.

88.9% 16/18

88.9% 8/9

92.3% 12/13 88.9% 93.4% Declined 100%

SCC/041(a) (NSI)

The percentage of eligible, relevant and former relevant children that have pathway plans as required

Not submitted 2011/12

68.4% 54/79

73.3% 44/60 100% 89.2% Improved

90% 98%

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Ref Description 2011/12 Actual

2012/13 Actual

2013/14 Actual

2014/15 Q2

2013/14 Wales Av

Direction of travel

Target Met

Target 2014/15

SCC/001(a) (PAM)

The percentage of first placements of looked after children during the year that began with a care plan in place

100% 60/60

Not submitted 2012/13

83.0% 44/53 100% 90.9% Improved 100%

SCC/011(a) (PAM)

The percentage of initial assessments that were completed during the year where there is evidence that the child has been seen by the Social Worker

97.2% 660/679

85.6% 310/362

95.7% 268/280 96.0% 78.9% Improved >95%

SCC/025 (PAM)

The percentage of statutory visits to looked after children due in the year that took place in accordance with regulations.

84.7% 66.9% 65.3% 79.5% 85.3% Improved >90.6%

SCC/045 (PAM)

The percentage of reviews of looked after children, children on the Child Protection Register and children in need carried out in line with the statutory timetable

61.5% 59.5% 86.1% 96.4% 89.6% Improved >94%

Ref Description 2011/12

Actual 2012/13

Actual 2013/14

Actual 2014/15 Quarter 2

2013/14 Wales Av

Direction of travel

Target Met

Target 2014/15

SCC/001(b)

For those children looked after whose second review (due at 4 months) was due in the year, the percentage with a plan for permanence at the due date

100% 100% 100% 100% 93.4% At Maximum 100%

SCC/006

The percentage of referrals during the year on which a decision was made within 1 working day

96.7% 704/728

93.9% 399/425

99.0% 411/415 99.1% 96.3% Stable 99%

SCC/010

The percentage of referrals that are re-referrals within 12 months

20.2% 147/728

16.2% 69/425

13.3% 55/415 14.5% 22.2% - 12-30%

SCC/013(a)i

The percentage of open cases of children with an allocated social worker - on the child protection register

100% 100% 100% 100% 99.9% At Maximum 100%

SCC/013(a)ii

The percentage of open cases of children with an allocated social worker -children looked after

100% 100% 100% 100% 95.2% At Maximum 100%

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Ref Description 2011/12 Actual

2012/13 Actual

2013/14 Actual

2014/15 Quarter 2

2013/14 Wales Av

Direction of travel

Target Met

Target 2014/15

SCC/013(a)iii

The percentage of open cases of children with an allocated social worker - children in need

87.3% 82.0% 79.0% 79.3% 76.4% Improved >75%

SCC/014

The percentage of initial child protection conferences due in the year which were held within 15 working days of the strategy discussion

92.4% 97/105

84.8% 56/66

93.4% 57/61 74.3% 89.9% Declined >93.4%

SCC/015

The percentage of initial core group meetings due in the year which were held within 10 working days of the initial child protection conference

88.9% 72/81

34.0% 16/47

96.2% 51/53 100% 90% Improved >96.2%

SCC/016

The percentage of reviews of child in need plans carried out in accordance with the statutory timetable.

30.2% 189/626

19.5% 89/456

57.5% 104/181 90.4% 78.8% Improved

80% 86%

SCC/021

The percentage of looked after children reviews carried out within statutory timescales during the year

100% 282/282

100% 296/296

99.6% 284/285 100% 95.9% Improved 100%

SCC/034

The percentage of child protection reviews carried out within statutory timescales during the year

99.1% 230/232

90.5% 181/200

93.9% 155/165 98% 98.1% Improved 100%

SCC/042(a)

The percentage of initial assessments completed within 7 working days

77% 523/679

76.5% 277/362

76.4% 214/280 69.1% 71.9% Declined 80%

SCC/042(b)

The average time taken to complete initial assessments that took longer than 7 working days to complete

47 7362/156

20 1643/84

20 1298/66 21 19 Declined <20

SCC/043(a)

The percentage of required core assessments completed within 35 working days

72.7% 117/161

81.3% 74/91

86.7% 78/90 86.8% 81.2% Stable >86.7%

SCC/043(b)

The average time taken to complete those required core assessments that took longer than 35 days

72 3181/44

78 1326/17

66 794/12 61 58 Improved 55

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